


As If Time Has Stopped

by Faillen



Series: twitter shorts [8]
Category: Gaya Sa Pelikula (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Future Fic, M/M, if I could bring myself to write an AU that long, this would be an intro to a longer AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:21:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27870685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faillen/pseuds/Faillen
Summary: The words were clear and unmistakable on the page.Envy of Dawnwritten byKarl Fredrick Almasen"Awesome, read it over and give me a call tomo—""—I'll do it."Andre sputtered, "What?""I'll do it, I'll direct it."Or: Vlad and Karl lost contact after Uni and it was fine. Vlad had moved on. Or at least, he liked to think he had.
Relationships: Karl Frederick Almasen/Jose Vladimir Austria
Series: twitter shorts [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2035030
Comments: 9
Kudos: 40





	As If Time Has Stopped

**Author's Note:**

> Basically I finished GSP and then immediately wrote this. Originally posted to Twitter [here](https://twitter.com/faillen_/status/1334674101160599555?s=20)
> 
> I didn't want to write something in the immediate future after the series because I reallyyyyyy want season 2. So this is an AU :)
> 
> Title from the YT English subs for Ikaw, the song that plays over 'Dear Karl', because it hits way too hard

Vlad flopped on the couch, glass of sparkling water in hand as he unbuttoned the collar of his shirt with the other. Throwing his feet up atop the coffee table, he took a sip, before sighing and tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling, the bubbles dissolving on his tongue.

Damn, he was tired. Black tie events were always an ordeal, as much as he psyched himself up for them beforehand. But between being surrounded by glasses of champagne and constantly getting pulled into conversation, no amount of psyching up was enough to keep exhaustion from settling under his skin sooner rather than later. 

He stared for a bit longer before sitting up, he dropped his legs back to the ground and took another sip, resting his elbows on his thighs. A few more minutes, he told himself, and then he would go shower.

The city lights twinkled past the expansive windows of his apartment. Judith had ooh'd and ahh'd over the view while helping him move in, dropping her purse on the couch and immediately gravitating towards it. His mother had also made appropriately approving noise, clapping him on the shoulder with an small smile before moving to inspect the rest of the apartment. 

He smiled to himself. Judith had called earlier to good-naturedly chew him out for not calling first, before extracting a promise from Vlad to take her to dinner when she returned from Paris.  


Draining the rest of his sparkling water, which was now flat enough that the fizz didn't burn his throat, he set the glass down on the coffee table before pushing himself up to his feet. He made his way down the hall to his bedroom, flicking the lights on as he went.

He was grabbing his pajamas out of the dresser when his phone began vibrating with a call in his back pocket. Draping his shorts and shirt over one arm, he dug it out, brow furrowing when he saw the contact name.

He swiped to answer, bringing the phone up to his ear. "You're calling late." 

"Well, hello to you too, Vlad," Andre greeted on the other end. "I know it's late—" 

"I just said that." 

"—but I have a script for you."

Vlad frowned, setting his clothes atop the dresser. "Andre, I told you I wanted to—" 

"—I know, but for me, c'mon. You'd be perfect for this one. I read it and I thought of you." 

"You read it and you thought of Jackie, but Jackie's busy with the series."

"Hey," Andre's pout was audible, "I actually did think of you first." 

"Hm," Vlad hummed, unconvinced, "Alright. You already sent it to me, then?" 

"Should be sitting in your inbox," Andre replied cheerily. Vlad made his way over to his desk, opening up his laptop.  "It's a new guy—" 

" _Andre._ " 

"Vlad, trust me on this, I swear. You haven't even looked at it. And he's not totally new, he's done some short films." 

"You say that like it's supposed to reassure me." 

"Vlad."  


"Fine, fine, I'll stop." He shifted to tuck his phone between his ear and shoulder, pulling up his email. Andre's was at the top of his inbox, with no subject specified, but a pdf attached. "Okay, let me pull it up." 

He moved to click on it and then froze, cursor hovering over the file name. 'Envy_of_Dawn_Script.pdf' 

"You got it?" Andre asked, and Vlad swallowed before clicking. "Yeah, one sec." 

His voice had gone hoarse. It couldn't be, he thought as he waited for it to load. It was just a coincidence.  


The document popped up. "Got it," he told Andre and scrolled down with trembling fingers and stomach feeling like he'd downed an entire liter of sparkling water. It had to be— 

But it wasn't. The words were clear and unmistakable on the page.

Envy of Dawn 

written by 

Karl Fredrick Almasen 

"Awesome, read it over and give me a call tomo—" 

"—I'll do it." 

Andre sputtered, "What?" 

"I'll do it, I'll direct it."

"But you haven't even read it," Andre said, incredulous. 

"I have," Vlad scrubbed a shaky hand over his hair, straightening up, "You wanted me to do this, why are you questioning it?" 

"Yes, I want you to do it, but what on earth do you mean?"

"I mean that I've read it, Andre, and I'll direct it. I'm on board." 

"How have you already read—" 

"—I have to get going, I'll call you tomorrow, alright?" 

"Vlad, what—" 

"—Sorry. Tomorrow, I promise." 

"Vl—" Vlad hung up and stared down at his phone.

It buzzed with a notification, a text from Andre popping up: _wtf?._ Vlad swiped it away, and set his phone face down on his desk. He dug the heels of his hands into his eyes and then took a deep breath. "Okay, Vlad," he said to himself, "Okay."

He pulled out his chair and sat down, feeling a little like he was about to shake out of his skin.  Taking another breath he anchored his fingers on the track pad to scroll down.

His shower would just have to wait till the morning, Vlad thought. 

He had a script to reread.

**Author's Note:**

> Some additional details about this AU, which is nebulously set eight years after canon:
> 
> \- Andre is a producer and gave Vlad his debut film  
> \- Jackie is one of their mutual friends, also a director  
> \- Envy of Dawn is a play on the eng. translation of one of the lyrics in Ikaw  
> \- Karl wrote a large part of the script in Uni but didn't finish it, Vlad read it over for him while he was working on it (and there's a whole Thing with that as well)  
> \- Karl doesn't know Andre reached out to Vlad yet  
> \- Vlad has been sober for two years in this  
> \- Karl didn't come out to his parents till after Uni  
> \- Karl and Vlad genuinely stayed good friends in Uni, they just lost contact between moving for jobs and getting busy etc., etc.  
> \- That's not accounting for all the existing romantic tension but they didn't talk about that :')
> 
> I normally write MG/TharnType stuff but damn, GSP g o t me


End file.
